Forum newsfeeds |  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
15-Jun-2003, 10:44
|  | Webmaster, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: England
Posts: 2,750
Current Location: London First Language: British English Thanks: 2
Thanked 36 Times in 23 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR Quote: |
Originally Posted by Lib One of these day / months I'll work out how this 'quote' thing works ... or then again maybe I won't.
Tdol .. it's not really fair to say that you'd hear 'tree' in Ireland. In fact it's the same as saying that the British say 'free'. | If you want help formatting your messages, simply look here for a tutorial: http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/faq.php?mode=bbcode 
__________________ Red5
Webmaster, UsingEnglish.com
Please note: I am not a teacher of English, just someone who loves the language. | 
15-Jun-2003, 13:05
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,057
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 58
Thanked 684 Times in 616 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR Quote: |
Originally Posted by Lib One of these day / months I'll work out how this 'quote' thing works ... or then again maybe I won't. | Click on Reply and the material in the posting you are replying to is automatically quoted. (The same thing happens when you click on Quote except the this message thing isn't there.) To quote selected segments of a posting simply put "quote" (in brackets) at one end and "/quote" (also in brackets) at the other end. You would not, of course, use quote marks. (Brackets: [ ] )
8) | 
20-Jun-2003, 19:12
| | | Re: GRAMMAR I'VE HEARD THAT FIRTEEN FOR THIRTEEN IN LONDON. | 
20-Jun-2003, 20:35
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,057
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 58
Thanked 684 Times in 616 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR Quote: |
Originally Posted by svivekanandarajah I'VE HEARD THAT FIRTEEN FOR THIRTEEN IN LONDON. | Welcome to the forum! :D
BTW, I agree with number 3 on your list, but it seems like something is lost in the translation. More to the point, doesn't that mean that you shouldn't eat food that will make you pass gas? :wink:
8) | 
27-Jun-2003, 20:07
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 25,137
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Thanks: 2
Thanked 246 Times in 235 Posts
| | I think it refers to the stench junk food gives off, especially if you're sitting next to someone on public transport. I've seen it used as an advert on the underground here, using the love is... cartoon, against burgers, etc.  | 
27-Jun-2003, 23:23
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,057
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 58
Thanked 684 Times in 616 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR That is clearly not what I was thinking it was at first. I don't know how I could have been so mistaken.
Does "holdup" have the same double meaning over there that it does over here. The "Don't holdup the train" is something I find rather interesting. :wink:
8)
__________________ ~R | 
27-Jun-2003, 23:45
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Country: Brazil
Posts: 10
Current Location: Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil First Language: Brazilian Portuguese Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR Quote: |
Originally Posted by RonBee Does "holdup" have the same double meaning over there that it does over here. The "Don't holdup the train" is something I find rather interesting. :wink: 8) | So does ole learner here.  Thought of Superman at first; then of Ronald Biggs (who remembers him? He lived in Brazil for a time.)
m | 
28-Jun-2003, 00:27
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,057
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 58
Thanked 684 Times in 616 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR Quote: |
Originally Posted by Márcio Osório Quote: |
Originally Posted by RonBee Does "holdup" have the same double meaning over there that it does over here. The "Don't holdup the train" is something I find rather interesting. :wink: 8) | So does ole learner here.  Thought of Superman at first; then of Ronald Biggs (who remembers him? He lived in Brazil for a time.) | In this country (USA) a holdup is a robbery. (Example: "The James gang held up trains.") Thus, "Don't holdup the train presents an interesting word picture for me. It's almost like they are saying, "Please don't rob us." :wink: | 
28-Jun-2003, 02:38
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Country: Brazil
Posts: 10
Current Location: Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil First Language: Brazilian Portuguese Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR Quote: |
Originally Posted by RonBee In this country (USA) a holdup is a robbery. (Example: "The James gang held up trains.") Thus, "Don't holdup the train presents an interesting word picture for me. It's almost like they are saying, "Please don't rob us." :wink: | Yes, it is. And I'm sorry for jumping to (and then tripping over my own) conclusions. Not until I checked the dictionary did I know that hold up actually was being used in the sense of " Don't stop, delay, or impede the course or advance of" the train, in that case at least.
"Superman", that old yet very well known DC comics character, could have easily held one up as well; British Ronald Biggs, a train robber of the 60s, had actually, well, held up another. And most likely the traffic that the robbery generated at that time.
Please tell me if I'm being dense, in which case you'd promptly let me know anyway.  And if I'm using the correct tenses. <double winks&g>
Thanks again.
m | 
28-Jun-2003, 03:16
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,057
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 58
Thanked 684 Times in 616 Posts
| | Re: GRAMMAR You are right, of course, about the other meaning of "hold up". I imagine that the railroad authorities wouldn't want any holdups of any kind. Quote: |
Originally Posted by Márcio Osório Please tell me if I'm being dense, in which case you'd promptly let me know anyway.  | If that ever happened it would be the first time (both you being dense and me telling you).
:wink: | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 07:02. |  |